How the Ghosts Returned X-Mas
by raisingirl02
Summary: What happened after the screen faded to black at the end of "How the Ghosts Stole X-Mas."


Title: "How the Ghosts Returned Christmas"   
Author: Melissa Lee   
Rating: PG-13 (for a couple words we've all heard)   
Classification: V, A   
Spoilers: Duh. "How the Ghosts Stole Christmas" 6X08   
Author's Note: This story is an answer to a fanfic challenge on the   
Shippertown mailing list, which was to say, in a work of fanfiction, what   
Mulder and Scully got each other. -- I just have to thank Tracy for   
helping me with gift ideas -- and convincing me not to say that Mulder   
bought a sausage log. :) -- Also an after-thanks to the great Shippertown   
gang that sent me beloved feedback. And, of course, to whoever issued   
the challenge, I had *lots* of fun with this one; I'm really getting into this   
'fanfic writer' thing!   
Summary: Fanfic challenge followup. What happened after the screen faded   
to black at the end of the episode "How the Ghosts Stole Christmas."   


X-x-X-x-X   
Fox Mulder's Apartment   
2:02 a.m.

"Here," said Fox Mulder, as he stepped around the short flame-haired woman   
in front of him, "I got you a little something."   
He pulled an oddly-shaped object off a filing cabinent behind his partner. He   
turned it over in his hands, as if afraid that he had left the price tag on, then   
handed it to her.   
Dana Scully took the gift from him gratefully, smiling in thanks. "Actually, I   
got you something too." She then reached into her overcoat, pulling out a neatly   
wrapped gift, complete with a curly bow. She held it with the very tips of her   
long fingers, but Mulder's hand somehow still found her's. She gulped and drew her   
hand back, forcing herself not to look up at him, though she could feel his eyes on   
her. She took Mulder's gift back in her two hands, as if the wrapping would some-   
how tell her what was inside.   
He waited patiently before her, watching her analyze the simple gift. God, he   
hoped she liked it. "Come on," he said softly, gesturing with a tilt of his head to   
the couch. She smiled again, and then excitedly rushed over to the black leather   
sofa. She seated herself quickly, and waited as Mulder scooted past her, his   
calves brushing against her knees. She slowly snapped back to reality, after quite   
a bit of Mulder's urgings.   
"Hello? Scully, you there?" he asked, leaning forward to look her in the eye.   
"Wha? Oh, yeah."   
"You want to see if I can guess what you got me before I open it, and then   
you can try to guess what I got you?"   
"Mulder! That's not fair, if I had known you were going to do that, I would've   
wrapped it in a couple more boxes."   
"Aww... Come on, Scully, don't be a baby. Okay, you wanna go first?"   
"Uh-uh, Mulder, if it's your idea to play this stupid game, then you go first."   
"Sure. Fine. Whatever." He grinned at her.   
She rolled her eyes at him. "Can I shake it?" he asked her, holding it in mid-air.   
"This isn't twenty questions, Mulder."   
"Well, if I shake it really hard, and it breaks, then you'll be mad at me!"   
"Mul-- Okay, don't shake it too hard, but I guess you can rattle it a little bit."   
She paused for a moment. "Mulder, I've never really been mad at you, but if I   
actually bought you something fragile, and you broke it, then I would be."   
He feigned a look of terror and rattled it side to side gently, his ear close to   
the small box. He couldn't hear much, but it sounded a bit like crinkling plastic.   
Scully watched him, almost seeing the wheels turning in his head. His eyes were   
focused away from her, a bright hazel with excitement and ... content? She   
didn't remember last time he looked truly happy. He always wore a lonely   
melancholy expression, which always brightened whenever she came into his   
view.   
She was used to such Christmas activities; with a family of six, it was quite   
easy to be happy during the holidays. Mulder, however, had a sad childhood,   
and she didn't think Christmas was a very special occasion for him anymore.   
In the distance, she heard Mulder ask her something.   
"Huh?" Wandering again.   
"Gee, Scully, do you need some caffiene? You sure seem to be drifting off   
easily tonight."   
"Mulder, it's two in the morning. No, I'm okay. Just... thinking. I'm sorry,   
repeat what you said."   
"I asked you if it's one of those videos that belong in the drawer with all   
those other videos that don't belong to me."   
She gave him The Look. "Mulder, I would never step foot into any store   
that sold what you call 'entertainment,' even if I knew where any of them   
were."   
He whispered a muffled "Too bad," and continued scrutinizing it. After a   
while, he sniffed it. Scully eyed him curiously.   
"I know what it is!" _Damn, he knows,_ she thought.   
"Chocolate!!" He's good, really good.   
"Don't look at me like you've won the Nobel prize, Mulder," she scolded,   
tamping her admiration. "Open it!"   
He excitedly tore at the wrapping, and she almost winced watching her   
years of perfected Christmas gift wrapping floating to the floor.   
"Ooooooh," he cooed breathlessly. "_Expensive_ chocolate..." He yanked   
at the shiny copper-colored lid, peering inside at the wide assortment of   
_expensive _chocolates.   
"Ghiradelli, Mulder, don't you know your chocolates?" she asked, taking   
a look inside the box herself.   
"Not too well, but I see you do." He grinned at her, popping one in his   
mouth.   
"Sure do..." she said quietly, still eyeing the box.   
"Want one, Scully?"   
"If I did, I would've taken one by now, or bought my own."   
"Here, have one," he said, holding a chocolatey cube between his thumb   
and index finger.   
"No, no, that's okay. You enjoy them."   
"Come on, Scully, it's..." He checked the box. "Strawberry cream, I know   
you like strawberries, that's the only kind of ice cream you ever own." He   
reached his arm around the one she was holding up in defense, aiming it at   
her.   
"Mulder!" She pushed back against the back of the sofa, trying to escape   
the incoming chocolate.   
"It's _really_ goooood!" He leaned against her, pinning her in place. "Open   
up!" he commanded.   
"Mulder, I said I--" With that, he pushed the chocolate into her mouth,   
not forcefully, but gently, allowing her to take a bite of the sweetness. She   
cut the cube in half, her lips brushing against his fingertips as she took the   
chocolate into her mouth, feeling the fruity sweetness overwhelm her. He   
was still leaning over her, watching her enjoy it to the utmost. "Want more?"   
She nodded eagerly. This time, when the chocolate reached her lips, he   
carefully eased it into her mouth with his thumb, letting it linger on her lips   
long after the chocolate had been eaten.   
Her eyes drifted close momentarily, letting the chocolatey heaven sweep   
over her. Only after she opened them did she become aware of Mulder's hand,   
caressing her cheek softly, his eyes on her lips.   
"Good?" She nodded again, slower this time, feeling his soft hands send a   
series of goosebumps along her cheek. A tiny smile spread across his lips,   
before he blinked twice, quickly, soon pulling his hand away from her.   
She somehow found her voice, saying, "Okay, my turn." He handed her his   
gift, which had been sitting on the coffee table idly.   
She turned the cylindrical gift over in her hands, shaking it carefully,   
trying to focus. "Is it fragile?"   
"Nope, it's not. You can probably throw it against the wall and it won't get   
a dent."   
She was stumped. She shook it, but nothing inside made a sound. She then   
shook it harder, so if anything was at one end, it would slide to the other. A   
soft rustling sound eminated from the gift.   
"This isn't a Koosh ball, is it?"   
He laughed, shaking his head. "Now what kind of present would that be to   
give to you?"   
She shrugged, resuming her analyzation of the gift. "That's it."   
"You know what it is?" he asked, not hiding his shock.   
"No, I don't."   
"So?"   
"Are you going to tell me or can I just open it?"   
"Scully! That defies the rules of the game!"   
"Okay then, I forfeit."   
"Then you don't get the gift." She almost considered playing along, but the   
unknown gift sat in her hands, mocking her. She rolled her eyes again. _I can't_   
_believe he's doing this to me,_ she thought agitatedly.   
"Is it a sausage log?"   
"Scully, I'm ashamed of you. A sausage log? Do you really thing that low   
of me?"   
"I'm sorry, Mulder. Is it one of those cylindrical mailboxes   
that open houses use?"   
"God, I _must_ be rubbing off on you." A tiny smirk crept onto her lips as he   
finally gave it to her. "Fine, go open it, I've learned not to argue with you,   
Scully, you're too damn stubborn."   
She smiled winningly, untwisting the edges of the wrapping paper, ex-   
pecting a cloth snake to pop out at her. After unwrapping the gift without   
tearing one square millimeter of it (Mulder applauded her, saying something   
about recycling the paper), she pulled out a gray tube, which explained how   
the gift had gotten its shape. The tube had no markings, words, and dis-   
tinguishing marks on it, except for the bland grayness. She pulled the top   
off the tube, peering down it and seeing nothing but blackness. Glancing   
at Mulder's anxious face, she slid her hand into the tube.   
As he watched her scrutinize the tube, Mulder was getting more and   
more nervous. "Look, Scully," he said, as she slowly -- a little too slowly --   
pushed her hand into the tube. "I really wasn't sure what to get you, and   
this used to be mine, but I thought it was your turn to enjoy it."   
He saw her face change as she grasped hold of the object inside the   
tube, from curious to surprised. Her gaze shifted down to her hand, as she   
withdrew ... a book. Her brow furrowed as she focused on the object. A   
paper-back book, larger than your usual New York Times Bestsellers, hinting   
older publication. It was rolled up in the tube carefully. With a faded navy   
blue cover, suggesting many uses. She read the title, _The Ghosts Who_   
_Stole Christmas_.   
Mulder gulped, expecting the worse. "This was yours, Mulder?" came the   
first reaction.   
"Uuuh, yeah. I used to read it every Christmas, when I was really little."   
He debated whether or not to say that it _was_ his favorite book, and threw   
it on the end anyways.   
"Mulder, I... I don't know what to say." Her blue eyes gazed at him with   
such intensity that he had to look away. He decided this was a good time   
to study his shoes. What had ever compelled him to do that? "Thank you   
so much."   
His head shot up to her. "You-you like it?"   
"Yeah, I really do. It's so thoughtful, Mulder. I mean, after the night we   
just had. This just might be the perfect Christmas present. I do prefer fiction   
over reality."   
He smiled at her, relieved and happy. "You're very welcome, Scully, Merry   
Christmas."   
"Merry Christmas, Mulder." They smiled at each other, communicating a   
thousand words through their eyes, before Mulder tossed a chocolate into   
the air, catching it neatly in his mouth.   
He almost said, "Ta-da!" but the look Scully was giving him, the one that   
said, "You're nearing the edge, Mulder..." ended his fun.   
"You want to read it?" he asked instead, gesturing to the book in Scully's   
hand.   
"Ah, Mulder, it's late. Or, shall I say, early? I could leave it here if you   
want, you'll see me soon anyways."   
"No, no, you keep it. If you can't sleep, read a couple pages. 'Kay?"   
"Good idea," said Scully, almost breaking out into another smile. She stood   
up, placing the book carefully back in the tube. Mulder walked beside her the   
short distance to the door. "Goodnight, Mulder."   
"No, that's not it." She gave him a questioning look. "Good Morning, Scully."   
A smirk stole its way onto his face.   
She left him there, gift in hand. And keys.   
She liked the way that sounded.   


X-x-X-x-X

This one's dedicated to all of you infatuated with expensive   
chocolate. You know the kind, it has that creamy fruity stuff in-   
side it. Mmm... Merry Christmas & Happy Shipping!


End file.
